If We Were Having Coffee We’d be Talking About Paris

Hello. Come on in out of the strong, cold north-wind and grab a cup of strong French Roast or Tea. Yeah, my normal greeting is a little muted today, but you know why.

Usually I let you guess where I am by the picture. Well, I am only in Paris in my thoughts right now. My body is in New Hampshire.

This was a week like any other. Work. Play. Reading. Writing. Cold. Rain. But now that it is over, I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about something else. Oh, we can take time to chat about small things later if you want. Perhaps I’ll do a repeat tomorrow that is a little lighter.

Yeah, we’ll talk abut what people the world over are talking about.

I cannot understand terrorism. I can never imagine what twist of thought could make someone think it is OK to hurt innocent people, to purposefully target those least able to defend themselves. I cannot. I hope I never can understand it. These are people stripped of all humanity. They’ve committed horrific crimes against humanity in Iraq and Syria and they are now trying to spread their special brand of evil around the world.

When I think of these people I think humanity is too sick to survive.

But then I remember those who ran towards the bullets, not away. Those who helped. Those who did everything they could to save or help others: the first responders, bystanders who couldn’t help but help, those who beat back fears to do what they had to do. Perhaps this is humanity, those people who put themselves on the line for others. The Helpers.

And I think of the millions, perhaps billions, who are in shock. Those who shed tears for people they have never met. Those who feel. Those that look at the pictures and see themselves in the gurneys, see their friends and family, though they live half a world a world away and are a different race or religion. Perhaps the ones who feel compassion are the ones who represent humanity. The Compassionate.

Perhaps humanity is saved because of people like us who are sitting and talking about it over our coffee, trying to make sense of the senseless. Humanity’s mind, voice and memory.

I will not pollute this coffee share with my usual blogging update. Perhaps I’ll do another post for that.

So that’s it. Thanks for stopping by!

When you leave here, why don’t you smile at a stranger? Why don’t you truly mean it when you say , “I hope you have a great day,” to the cashier as you get your groceries? Reach out to one in pain. Do a random act of kindness. Remember that the person next to you is a thinking, feeling human, just like you.

Let’s put the human back into humanity and prove to the universe why we should survive.

I frightened myself this weekend. I felt I understood people who lash out, randomly. I ran those demons out of my head. I will not be part of this terror. Let’s keep writing and keep chatting over coffee – it’s these little things that can make the world a better place.

I understand. I once was in a computer class and the instructor dared us to try to break into his system. It was easy. And as I did stuff in it i got this weird feeling and I understood why hackers do what they do. It is something I quickly purged, but these dark places do live in all of us. I agree, we need to keep talking over coffee, inviting more in to chat and maybe we can, in some small way, make the world a better place.

Thanks so much for this inspired post, Trent and to all the commenters who added so much. Feels like we’re all huddled in a café together and just the thing I need in the aftermath of all of this, which for our household also includes a severe hailstorm, a broken roof and the helpers who came to us…the State Emergency Service, which is run by volunteers. Geoff was at work and I have mobility issues and the kids so it was quite terrifying and even if they hadn’t patched the roof, it meant the world just having them here and not doing it all on my own. Take care everybody and God Bless xx Rowena

I did see that hailstorm post. It didn’t look like there were many people on the beach for some reason ;) Yes, the conversation has been great. It is good to talk about these things. I know you lived through having terrorist attacks in your town and we did too, down in Boston a few years ago. It effects us all, there are few places that have been untouched in the last few years. And in all the cases there are the first responders. The people that came and helped with your roof are a kind of first responder – I think I wrote on your post how much I like that idea and wished we had it here. Anyway, take care, talk to you soon!

Thanks! When I think of the things ISIS has been responsible for all over the world, including Paris, yeah, depravity is the right word. But there is something in me that I just have to see beyond the evil and see the good.

Maybe a smile won’t make a Kalashnikov 6000 miles away disappear, but there is the butterfly effect. As more and more people celebrate our shared humanity, perhaps the engine of hate will lose it’s fuel. Thanks for the smile :)

A lovely post, Trent, and yes. The horror wreaked by a few may say much about what is wrong with humanity, but the quiet acts of courage, selflessness and compassion say a good deal about what is right.

Thanks Sue. We do need to focus on all that is right. The news often tries to force us to see only the ugly. It points fingers. We need to point fingers at the good, to set the focus away from the few and towards the many that are good. Perhaps we should be quicker to find those to praise than those to blame.

Beautiful post, Trent. I like the way you shifted the focus. Yes to focusing on the helpers and the compassionate, and a big yes to random acts of kindness. I hope we humans someday evolve enough to stop the senseless violence (and isn’t it all senseless?).

Thanks Robin. I think most people are ready to move beyond violence but it will take more than a desire for peace, it will take work on everyone’s part. But I think enough people are fed up so we will do it. Seems strange to say in these very violent times, but i think people have had enough.

It would be impossible to NOT talk about yesterday’s horrific happenings. You did so very well. We do so have to stop giving these terrorists the attention they so crave. Yes, do let us focus on the heroes, the ones who race towards the hell to help.

We get too focused on those who commit such things. And then we feel for the victims, which, of course is only right. But we do need to think of the helpers too and know that there are more than just harmers and victims, that there are helpers, and the helpers outnumber the harmers.

And we have to keep in mind that these Helpers didn’t stop to think, they acted automatically. Their natural compassion moved them to extend themselves to act to protect, to shelter, to help. And because of this, many of them have seen things that we are not meant to see. Extending a huge thank you and warmest of embraces to those Helpers.

Yes, it is the Helpers who give me hope…those running in to help save lives or pull bodies, those wiling to open their homes to strangers to keep them out of harms way, and those willing to show up when shit gets real. I am heartbroken for our world and could easily get lost in the inhumanity of our continuous ridiculousness and short-sightedness…but it is the helpers who give me hope.

It sometimes hard to remember. Such a small number of people, 8 in this case, can cause so much harm. But how many Helpers were there? Many, many more, so many more Helpers than Harmers. So yes, the helpers also give me hope.